Rebirth
by Aldea0402
Summary: Dale "Barbie" Barbara ponders the one shining light in the last few perilous days of his life.


So, I eagerly tuned into "Under the Dome" wanting to find a nice, creepy Sci-Fi show to fulfill my Summer. Knowing the mind of Stephen King, and never having read the book, I thought my heart would be safe. I have a tendency to ship couples that don't stand a chance, or are written so poorly that you don't care then they actually do sling them together. The exception of this is "Castle".

So, along comes Barbie and Julia. I promised myself I wouldn't become invested. I promised myself that I wouldn't cheer for them to get togther. My poor heart can't take anymore disappointment. Yep... that lasted all of five episodes. I enlisted friends to stop me from shipping them. Yep... a lot of help they were. They're shipping them too. LOL

So, here I am, spending my Summer getting stomach aches worrying about upcoming episodes, yelling like crazy on Twitter when an ep is on, and hoping beyond hope that these crazy kids will maneuver through this insanity surrounding them.

I dedicate this to Cindy and Mel. Cindy, thank you for being my Beta and pointing out "It might be because English is my second language, but I have NO idea what you were saying here." LOL That's okay, I didn't either. And Mel, my quiet friend that I dragged down this rabbit hole with me... I hope you won't hate me in the end. LOL!

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All characters belong to Stephen King, Amblin Entertainment, Baer Bones Productions, and CBS. Just having a little fun. You're physically harming them more than I ever could. LOL

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"Rebirth"

Dale "Barbie" Barbara sat on the sofa across from Julia. Silence had ensued after she'd whispered "Maybe." What more could he possibly say?

'I'm sorry for lying to you.'

'I'm sorry your husband did this to you.'

'I'm sorry that both of us hurt you so deeply.'

In all honesty, Barbie wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling. The last nine days had been a whirlwind, especially where they were concerned.

When they'd first met, Julia had frantically been searching for her husband. Peter Shumway's identity had been a mystery when she and Barbie had first met. Barbie immediately noticed her beauty, but the ring on her finger was a definite warning for him to get that thought out of his head immediately.

Once the Sheriff's Department had commandeered her car, it left them alone in the McAllister's yard, staring at an invisible barrier that had trapped him. As they walked along the barrier, later to be known as "the dome", she'd struck him as intelligent and fierce.

Later, she's returned and invited him to stay with her and her husband. At first he'd been hesitant, but her stubbornness flashed before his eyes and he knew there really wasn't a choice.

It was then, in her home, that his sins came back to haunt him. The man he'd killed and buried just hours before, was staring back at him in photos with Julia.

He should've fled… extricated himself from the situation as soon as possible. But damn if he didn't find himself sleeping comfortably in her guest room. And as Peter's death haunted his dreams it was Julia who knocked on his door and brought him comfort.

She's made him smile. It felt like the first time in months that had happened.

The more time they'd spent together, the more he felt drawn to her. She'd been angry when she'd found out that Barbie was keeping secrets from her. She was even more angry when she'd found out that Peter had a gambling problem. Their savings was gone, their home in foreclosure, and the man she'd trust enough to let into her home had kept this from her.

He should have told her the truth right there in the clinic. She was already 'broken', slowly absorbing the information she'd found out about Peter's secret life. He should have told her that Peter had pulled a gun on him as he started to leave the cabin. Would she understand that Barbie pulled his gun on self defense and it has inevitably gone off in the scuffle, killing Peter immediately?

The moment she spat at him; "You're an enforcer", he saw it in her eyes. She was broken, her entire marriage unfolding before her eyes. Her face was already flushed from fever, but the moment her eyes began to water Barbie had felt the stab of pain in his gut.

He retreated within himself. He couldn't bring anymore pain onto her. So he'd lied. It was easy rolling off his tongue. Letting Julia believe Peter had skipped town to escape his gambling debts should have been the easier choice. He'd returned to her home that night, packed his meager bag of belongings and left…. His last look was a picture of Julia and Peter, smiling back at him.

And then visitor's day came. He'd intentionally avoided Julia at the bridge. Her flame red hair was easy to spot, but he'd allowed her the space she deserved. Surprisingly, she'd sought him out. As he'd tried to apologize to her again, she'd cut him off and absolved him of his misdeeds.

The visit by Julia's sister in law Mary had seemed to put the final piece into place. Peter had sent Mary a Dear John letter. He'd been planning on leaving Julia all along. Barbie felt as if he'd been punched in the gut when Julia told him what was in the letter Mary had held up. The tears in her eyes quickly turned to steel.

"He didn't even have the balls to send his own Dear John letter." She'd told him. Barbie had decided at that moment that he never wanted to see that pain in her eyes again.

While evacuating the town, she's approached him again. Tentatively, she'd asked about what it was he'd used to get the information from the military. He held back, never having shared that story with anyone outside of the mandatory PTSD counseling he'd been forced to endure while enlisted.

Something buried deep inside of him slipped. He trusted her. He wanted her to know some of the deepest, darkest parts of his past. So he'd told her. As he spoke, he saw the myriad of emotions play over her features. Once he's finished his tale, he's spun and walked away from her before she could respond.

She hadn't chased him. Instead he'd sought her out later. They'd sat together sharing a bottle of bad wine and waited for the end of the world to come. They hadn't thought twice before leaving the relative safety (they hoped) of the cement factory and searching for the missing kids. They'd gone together, side by side facing sure death.

Once the latest crisis had passed, they'd stood shoulder to shoulder staring at the charred world outside of the dome. Barbie had felt a sense of hopelessness befall him when he'd realized the dome was still there. She'd reached out and taken his hand. A simple gesture really. But his bereft feelings washed away and was replaced by….what exactly? Hope?

Her quiet spoken confession filled him with a new purpose. "Honestly, I'm a little scared." She'd said. Barbie swore to himself that he'd never let anything happen to her, at whatever cost to him. When they parted to head in opposite directions, the look they'd shared made him feel as if they were starting an entirely new chapter in their story.

After watching the entire town go insane, and losing Rose in the melee, he was relieved when she'd sought him out. When she'd wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder his entire body lit on fire. Her warmth, even in the pouring rain, permeated every inch of his being.

She felt it too. She reassured him…. Promised him. "We're going to be okay."

Barbie was sure her words had duel meaning. When she'd lifted her head and turned towards him, he couldn't help but turn his cheek into the curly locks of her hair. It allowed her scent, her complete essence to permeate his senses before she pulled away. Instead she turned towards him.

The first taste was like a drug. The moment their lips touched he was addicted. They hesitantly pulled apart before their lips melded together again. Despite the rain, the dome, the town that had fell apart around them, despite ALL of that there was just the two of them left in the world.

The need for air made it necessary for them to finally pull apart. She'd loosely taken his hand while they were kissing. He wrapped it tightly in his as they moved towards her car.

She'd driven back to his car still wrecked on the front lawn of the McAllister farm. They hadn't spoken at all on the drive over. She'd pulled next to his car and looked at him expectantly.

"Grab your things." She said quietly. That answered his question as to whether she was merely dropping him off.

Once they'd arrived back at the house. She grabbed towels for both of them. He'd noticed that she wasn't making eye contact with him.

'Guilt.' He thought. Her husband has only been gone for a few days. This was moving way too fast.

Not to mention the mother of all secrets he was still keeping from her.

Arriving back at the house, she'd disappeared to find them towels to dry off while he placed large pans outside to gather rain water… just in case.

They awkwardly met again in the living room. She wordlessly handed him a towel. He'd thanked her, and although it was killing him inside to do it, he had to let her off the proverbial hook. He wrapped the towel around his shoulders and turned to grab his bag. By the time he'd turned around Julia was already ascending the steps upstairs.

He paused a few moments to allow her to 'escape' from the situation. Once he'd reached the top of the stairs he saw her standing tentatively in her bedroom door. Of course she would be. Julia Shumway didn't run away from anything.

He approached slowly. "Look, Julia-"

His words were cut off by her racing forward and capturing his lips once again. What happened next was a flurry of activity. Clothes were shed, bodies gently explored. The sex wasn't like anything he'd ever experienced in his life; slow, gentle and completely fulfilling.

He knew they shouldn't be doing this. If his secret ever got out it would destroy her, especially now that she'd placed her full trust in him; body, mind and soul.

But she felt so good. His want for her was fueled by an absolute need to have every ounce that she was willing to give. No words were spoken, only soft moans punctuated by faint gasps. They teased and fulfilled, climaxing together in a heap of sweaty limbs.

The exhaustion of the day caught up with them and they'd fallen asleep immediately, her head resting on his shoulder. He wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but the sun was now shining brightly through the window.

She was sleeping peacefully, at some point during the night she'd slid off his shoulder. He laid on his side staring at her, trying to drink in every ounce of her features before she awoke. He was positive that she would gently tell him that this had been a mistake, that the emotions of the day got the better of them.

But until that time came, he would memorize her as she is now, peaceful and dreaming without a worry in the world. He would always remember her sent, clinging to him like a second skin. He would revel in the memory of how she felt, soft and pliant as their bodies moved together in unison.

He stared guiltily at the wedding ring she still wore, gleaming in the morning sunshine like a scarlet letter bore into his soul.

His eyes continued to drift between her ring and face until she began to stir. Her clear blue eyes sleepily focused on him. He'd reached out to gingerly move an errant curl that had fallen in her face causing her to smile.

His eyes again focused on her ring drawing her attention to it. Slightly more awake and focused now she slid her hand between the pillows once she'd realized what had drawn his attention. Neither of them spoke and his eyes wandered everywhere but to meet hers. She moved away slightly so she could turn and check the time. He used that as his cue to remove himself from the awkward moment.

She'd reached out quickly. "No. I'd like you to stay." Relief had washed over his body as he settled again on to the bed. She slid herself closer as their faces moved together, pressing her naked body against his. This morning definitely was not starting out how he expected as he trailed his lips across her cheek towards that spot between her neck and shoulder that made her gasp.

Maybe it was a good thing that they were interrupted. She'd answered her door wearing a flimsy robe, clearly naked underneath as she chatted happily with her neighbor. Barbie had noticed Harriet's eyes widen when he'd appeared, fully dressed but clearly doing 'the walk of shame'.

Julia, for her part, never batted an eyelash. As Harriet disappeared into the house Julia teasingly had asked him if he was running away. His first response had been to say "Never." Instead he smiled and shook his head, explaining what his plans were for the day.

His heart had sang later that day when he saw Julia again. She was no longer wearing her ring. Maybe… just maybe… with all his secrets buried…. They would have a chance at this. He felt different. While the darkness and demons still nipped at his psyche, he felt peaceful with her. While they'd laid together on the sofa in the McAllister house while Alice slowly slipped away upstairs, he felt absolute serenity holding her in his arms with their hands clasped together.

She'd turned to look at him with such trust and affection in her eyes, he astutely became aware of the fact that he was falling hard and fast for this woman. He bent to kiss her forehead which brought a small, albeit sad smile to her face considering what was happening around them.

"For being such a bad ass you have a very gentle touch." She teased quietly.

He took a deep breath, sliding out on the limb a little farther. "Only for you." He replied softly.

She smiled and leaned closer into him, the moment broken by Norrie storming down the steps and out the front door.

Maxine had made her presence in town known shortly after. She'd held Peter's death over Barbie's head, using his feelings for Julia to force him to do her bidding.

In the short eight days since the dome had appeared, he had changed. His natural instinct to want to help people had kicked in. It was what had led him to enlisting in the military to start with. But his sudden need to be a better person, a good person, was all Julia's influence. He wanted to be the man that she deserved, even knowing that the dark secrets from his past could cause it all to implode.

As they sat on the sofa, side by side, and she was telling him about her day, he couldn't even focus. His mind kept screaming at him. "Tell her! Tell her!"

When she'd reached out for his hand and said; ""Be grateful for what we do have." She offered to hear about his day, but he couldn't. He wasn't emotionally prepared to be the one to shatter her so soon after he started to come to terms with what was happening between them.

She mistook his response of; "It can wait until morning." It really could. Max wasn't going to burst into the house and start accusing him. He could allow her one more peaceful night before pulling the rug out from under her.

She smiled and leaned into him. "Is that right? Well do you want to take me to bed?" She said with a smile as she leaned in to kiss him. He chuckled as he returned the kiss, also kissing her nose and their joined hands.

As much as his body screamed to take her up on her offer, his mind couldn't bring himself to do it. "Actually, I'm going to stay up for a while."

Her forehead creased slightly. She'd asked if everything was okay. He'd lied to her… again. "We're fine." He'd promised, his stomach clenching so hard that he felt his heart skip a beat.

After she'd gone upstairs he had gone to check the generator. Sure that it wasn't going to stop during the night he'd trudged up the stairs sure that she would be asleep already.

She was. He smiled. When he'd first started staying at the house, she'd slept in shorts and a tee. Now, she opted for a camisole and panties. It was yet another change in the whirlwind that had been the last eight days.

He'd quietly climbed into bed and laid on his side facing her. He studied the dusting of freckles on her face and shoulders. If they'd met at another time, in another place, there would have enough time for him to memorize every one of them.

He reached out to gently trace a small scar on her arm. His touch was enough to make her stir. She smiled and opened her eyes.

"Change your mind?" She asked sleepily.

He smiled. "You should sleep." He told her. She merely smiled and slid closer to him, throwing her leg over his. "Later." She whispered before claiming his lips with hers.

Unlike their prior night together, they made love with wild abandon, each one driving the other to a wild crescendo of pleasure before crashing and starting the pattern all over again. He clung to her, desperately trying to hold onto every moment knowing that it would be their last.

Once they were spent, he'd held her tightly while she dozed off. Sleep eluded him completely. His heart welled with emotion before breaking knowing that he'd never get to experience this again.

The following morning, he was extra careful not to wake her when he slid out of bed. Holding her in his arms like that all night long had led him to only one conclusion- he couldn't be without her. No matter what needed to be done, he would bring Max down and put an end to it once and for all.

He's guzzled a cup of coffee and left her a note before going to see Big Jim. Unfortunately, their plan had fallen apart when Maxine had shown up. Barbie had tried to appease her wishes, but ended out betraying her in the end. He had to swallow the bile that rose in his throat when Max had climbed onto his lap and began kissing him.

THIS was wrong.

SHE was wrong.

She wasn't Julia. Nothing in his life would ever feel as right as she did. It was destroying him piece by piece as he headed home. He'd tentatively entered the house and found her sitting on the steps, a look of steel in her eyes.

She already knew.

She'd put two and two together and figured it out. He quietly filled in the blanks as she sat in the chair across from him fighting back her emotions. One moment she looked pissed, the next heartbroken.

He felt gutted knowing that he had a part in bringing this pain to her. Tears welled in his eyes and slowly trickled down his face. He wanted nothing more than to reach for her, to comfort her in any way that he could. But he didn't dare.

This was his fault.

His head dropped as he stared at the floor. It was then that he heard the most incredible words he'd ever born witness to.

"In the future, there can be no more lies." She'd said to him in a shaky voice.

He had snapped around. "The future?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah-". She whispered, barely audible.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even after all that he'd done, the death of her husband at his hands, the lies he'd told in the past week, she was still willing to forgive him.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Maybe." She replied, not quite as sure as she was just a few moments ago.

They sat silently for a short time. She finally stood and moved towards the stairs. "There are first aid supplies under the bathroom sink." She told him absently before moving quietly up the steps.

Barbie went upstairs several minutes later. He showered quickly to sooth his aching muscles. He patched his wounds the best he could on his own and quietly moved into the bedroom.

He just needed to grab a change of clothes out of his bag. He'd decided to sleep downstairs tonight, not wanting to push her in anyway.

She was in bed with her back towards the door. He could barely see the rise and fall of her chest under the tee shirt she was wearing. Her eyes were closed but he knew she wasn't asleep. He quietly slipped a pair of boxers and a shirt on under the towel he was wearing and started to exit the room without disturbing her.

He froze when he heard her voice. "I'm a big girl you know."

He turned towards the bed. She hadn't moved but her eyes were now open. "Peter, you… hell even Phil had tried it. I'm not a child. I don't need 'protecting'." She said angrily.

"Julia, I can't-" He stopped

She turned to face him and sat up. "You can't what?"

He searched for the right words. "I can't promise NOT to protect you. If anything happens to you-" He felt the tears he'd shed earlier well up into his eyes again. She sat on the bed hugging her knees to her chest.

He couldn't take seeing her like this. He quickly left her alone in her room and fled downstairs.

He flopped onto the couch and dropped his head into his hands. Every muscle in his body clenched when he heard her footfall on the stairs.

"I don't normally do this." She said softly. He lifted his head to watch her cross the room but didn't dare speak.

"Invite men I hardly know into my bed." She explained as she dropped back into the chair. She then frowned and continued to explain. "I mean… there's been no one else since I met Peter."

She was quiet for several moments before speaking again. "The truth is… my marriage hadn't been the greatest for a while. It wasn't that we didn't love each other. It was more that we'd become boring. We'd fallen into a repeat pattern. There was no spark anymore. I guess that's why he chose to go out and live another life."

Barbie fought the urge to reach out and touch her.

She suddenly turned her ice blue eyes up and stared into his. "Were there other women, do you know?"

Barbie shook his head. "I don't know. I only saw him long enough to collect the money he owed Max. I never saw any women with him."

Julia's brow knitted together. "Max. Is that the bookie's name?"

Barbie sighed. No more lies.

"Yes. She's into a lot of things, not just gambling."

He felt her stiffen. "She?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah she." He said.

"Were you two involved?" She asked then quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't have the right to ask you that."

"Yes you do." He took a deep breath. "I wasn't in love with her. To be honest, it was more about sex than anything else."

Doubt clouded her features. "I-" she stopped and remained quiet.

Barbie felt bile rise in his throat. "Please don't. Do not think this is the same thing. We're not like that, you know that right?"

She dropped her gaze and fiddled with her hands.

"Julia.. this…. Us…. We're so much more than that." He suddenly became doubtful. "At least to me-"

"Somewhere… deep down…I felt guilty… like I was cheating on Peter." She confessed quietly.

"You thought he'd left you Julia." Barbie soothed.

"I'm not sure if it matters. It's barely been over a week." She said softly. "The truth of the matter is… I didn't care." She smiled wanly.

He immediately felt uncomfortable as to where her mind was headed.

"Maybe it would be better if I leave." He offered.

"No please- I…." She shook her head desperately as tears began spilling down her face. "I… I don't know how to do this Barbie. There's so much about you I DON'T know, yet there's just something between us… there had been since we met."

He relaxed slightly. "Something?" He teased gently.

She nodded and smiled. "Something more than 'just sex'. But… I don't know where this is leading us. Or what it means."

"What can I do to ease your mind?" He asked, desperate to put her at peace.

"Tell me about Max." She said.

Barbie thought for a moment. The last thing he wanted to do was to show his demons to anyone, especially someone like Julia. Although she had a will of steel, deep down she was a gentle, loving and caring woman. He felt as if he somehow….soil….that by telling her the truth.

But he'd promised her. And if bearing all the ugliness in his soul to her meant that he had a chance to be with her, he'd do it. Yet somehow, he also knew that it could scare her away.

"Look…when I was discharged from my final tour- I just felt so overwhelmed with anger. I was terrified at the horrors I saw humanity inflict on each other, angry at what the military forced me to do- I felt like I had this constant, pent up rage with no outlet to get rid of it."

Julia barely reacted. She shifted slightly on her chair but did not speak.

"They forced me to talk to shrinks hired by the military. They came up with some crap diagnosis-"

"PTSD." She answered for him.

He nodded and smiled bitterly. "They all knew what it was….but none of them knew how to fix it. Finally I was done talking and went out looking for an outlet- just someway to get rid of everything I was feeling. When it got too bad, I'd intentionally go to a bar itching for a fight. I'd usually find one too."

He took a deep breath again, now refusing to look at her. "Some nights, I'd let a drunken women come on to me. Quick, hard and dirty. I'd always be gone by the time she woke up the next day. That is even if we made it out of the bar-" He felt so disgusted with himself at that moment.

He took a chance and glanced over at her. She had her hands clasped in her lap and was staring at them, her breathing even.

"One night when I was looking for…whatever… this blonde approached me. She was beautiful, all smiles and nursing a drink. I had a feeling that she wasn't like the other women. I should have listened to my gut because I was right."

He sat back on the sofa and rubbed his hand through his hair. "We partied for days. She was a master manipulator and knew exactly how to play me. The next thing I knew she was telling me about part of her business and how I'd fit in perfectly. At that point in my life, I had no other alternatives. I felt like I was beyond caring what happened to me, or who I hurt along the way-"

He finally turned his face to hers. "Until I met you. I saw it with my very eyes.. the ramifications of what Max's business could do to people. Peter may have pulled a gun on me first…. But I feel every bit responsible for his death." He said quietly.

Julia fixed her eyes on him. He felt like she was looking straight into his soul. "You were protecting yourself. Peter knew what he was doing. Instead of coming to me, his WIFE, and letting us figure out a solution to his mess, he chose to hide it from me, whether he thought he was protecting me or not. Do you understand why there can be no more lies between us Barbie?"

While their emotions were already raw, Barbie decided to lay his heart to bare. "You.. you've made me smile, truly smile for the first time in years. It wasn't until the last few days… getting closer to you….to be able to watch you sleep next to me, so quiet and peaceful…this is the first time in a long time I've ever felt like I had a future."

Her eyes welled with tears but she continued to fight them. She finally lost the battle and a lone tear trickled down her face. She wiped it away quickly. Barbie wasn't sure if it was because she was angry at herself for crying, or angry at him period.

Finally she stood and began to walk away from him without saying a word. His shoulders slumped knowing that this was the end.

Surprising him, and perhaps herself, she stopped and turned. She walked back, stopping long enough to kneel before him.

"I…I need to think." She explained. He nodded wordlessly.

However, his heart began to soar when she reached out and took his hand in hers, gently squeezing it before turning and disappearing up the stairs.

Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable or pressured, he quietly went upstairs and pulled bedding out of the linen closet. He went back down and created a makeshift bed on the couch. As he lay there, he stared up at the ceiling knowing that she was just a few feet above him. He could smell her scent mingling with the couch cushions, a gentle mix of her shampoo and what made Julia so intoxicating to him.

Sleep wasn't going to come tonight. He knew that. But tomorrow was a new dawn, and with that a chance to start over, a chance to be truly together, with no secrets between them.

A chance for a future.

The End


End file.
